Citation

Bagchi SS, Paul S. Nat. Hum. Behav. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1038/s41562-022-01512-6

PMID

36658213

Abstract

The global increase in violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic has been termed the 'shadow pandemic'. A study by Ravindran and Shah analysed evidence of violence against women in Indian society and find that, under strict lockdown rules, domestic violence and cybercrime complaints increased, whereas rape and sexual assault decreased.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a catastrophe that has caused the deaths of numerous individuals and seen an upsurge in violence against women across the world. UN Women has called this the 'shadow pandemic', during which one in three women experienced intimate partner violence1. Violence against women negatively affects various aspects of society, including women's labour participation, income and mental health, as well as child health. The economic costs of violence against women vary from 1 to 4% of worldwide GDP2. India is often identified as an unsafe place for women3, and the effect of the shadow pandemic during the lockdown was poised to increase this many fold. These issues can also have substantial economic repercussions that may aggravate the adverse bearings of lockdowns on female labour-market participation, salary and domiciliary consumption...

Language: en